Escaping Fate
by Purple Mercenary
Summary: Hyrule's princess finds herself alone and hopeless as impossible and some false accusations confirm her fear that something dark was brewing in her kingdom. Despite all the odds, she manages to escape fate, but what will she do when it finally catches up with her? Rated M just to be safe for language, some sexual content, and potentially upsetting scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chains rattling pulled Zelda from her sleep, yet all she could see in the pitch black room was the moons light pouring in from the window of her balcony door. From across the room she heard her bedroom door shut softly and she pulled her blanket tighter to her chest as three of her own soldiers stepped into the moonlight holding thick silver chains. All three of them lunged at her before she had the chance to ask what they were doing, holding down her legs and grabbing her arms roughly. She tried to scream, but found a gloved hand clamped over her mouth in an instant. They then clasped the metal cuffs around both her wrist and ankles harshly. Finding her own soldiers responsible for this infuriated her, but she couldn't stay that way for long for as soon as the metal made contact with her skin she felt all her energy drained. Her body grew limp and powerless, leaving her terrified. What in the world was going on? She tried desperately to pull from their grasp, but her body was too weak and she received a swift slap to the face. This completely took her aback. The audacity!

"Settle down wench!" A voice bellowed at her and she froze in place as his hand had risen again and a fist connected with the back of her head. She yelped in pain at how hard he had hit her. She did what he said and she didn't even move! Confusion quickly set in and she clenched her teeth tightly trying to ignore the throbbing in the back of her head. Why we're her own soldiers treating her this way? She chanced a glance to the soldier that hit her as he pulled her roughly from the bed, pushing her towards the door and ordering her to start walking. She did so quietly, terrified of what was to come next. They had seemed to be leading her to her throne room, yet the halls were so dark she had trouble making out if that was in fact where they were going. The only light was the soldier behind her holding a rather small candle lantern.

They arrived at the doors to her throne room and the other two guards pushed the doors open. Within the room were all seven of her council members and several guards all grimacing her way in the candle light.

Her most trusted member stepped forward, anger flashing in his eyes. "Princess Zelda, we of the council have found you guilty and as Aldrich head of said council, I charge the accused of treason for conspiring with Crimea and sentence you to death. You will be executed tomorrow at noon. That is all."

Zelda's jaw dropped at his words. What in the world? Treason? What could she have possibly done that would be considered treason? And Crimea? Of all the places to say they chose the one across the damned sea!

"You're mad!" She objected, receiving a raised eyebrow from him, "I've done nothing that amounts to treason!"

He looked at her, obviously not phased, "take her away."  
As quickly as Aldrich spoke she was spun around and shoved back to the doors of the throne room. Who did he think he was?! She knew Crimea existed on the continent of Tellius yet the two countries never had any interactions with each other. The sea was too dangerous to travel so they only kept to themselves. To be accused like that was very fishy; something had to be going on. They arrived at the castles dungeon and of course as she expected they shoved her into a cell, slamming the barred door and locking it swiftly. She said nothing as she listened to them all walk away, a sadness washing over her. Could this really be happening? She would be executed in less than a day, and the thought of that made tears swell in her eyes. She let out a light sob and slide down to the floor in a corner of the stone cell, burying her face in her knees. She felt sick. After all she been through and done for her people, this was how she would be repaid.

She laid over on her side finding the stone ground even more uncomfortable than the cuffs around her wrist and ankles. Just what was going on with these things? She felt so incredibly weak and drained every since the metal touched her skin. Perhaps she could burn them off? With the thought in mind, she tried to summon her fire magic only to find that her wrist and ankles felt as if she was being burned herself. She cried out in pain and clamped her hand over her mouth as her body trembled and the pain faded incredibly slowly. She can't use her magic? The situation was looking worse and worse and she feared she might never find a way to escape. She felt tears pricking at her eyes. The mix of confusion and hopeless took over her, leaving her with a pounding headache. She reached and touched the back of her head where a small bump was already rising. Goddesses, he hit her really hard.

Zelda relaxed back onto the stone floor, deciding whether she should sleep or spend her last hours awake, feeling her impending doom growing closer and closer every minute. Instead she closed her eyes, sending out one last prayer to the goddesses. Something, no, anything to explain what was going on was all she wanted. Not long after she finished her prayer, sleep took her. Yet even as she slept, her mind still raced and her hope completely slipped away.

* * *

Everything was dark and silent for the longest time, yet through the dark she saw a small fuzzy light. She walked through the darkness, an eerie aura surrounding her. The darkness felt so thick, almost as if she was walking across the bottom of an ocean. Yet despite how heavy it felt she also had the sensation that she was floating like she could just start twirling off into the deepest space. Gradually that light grew closer and brighter as she made her way to it. It was unclear what was going on in that light, but there was some movement. As she finally reached it, she lightly touched her fingers to what felt like warm glass on a summer's day. It was a comfortable warm that for a moment felt peaceful, almost too peaceful. The small light flickered beyond it like she was watching it through a window, and her fingers lingered on the invisible wall as she watched the light grow and the fuzzy scene became crystal clear. The people before her looked so vivid and real that she could swear they were right in front of her. She watched silently, noting how every person before her was a member of her council. The brightly lit room they were standing in looked completely normal, but yet at the same time something felt ominous about it. She watched as they all talked and laughed together. Their mouths were moving, but she couldn't hear a sound and it was very sudden that every one of them froze. Their eyes turned to her and she could just feel her body hurt as their glares stabbed into her like eight pairs of daggers. The once brightly lit room began to darken and the glass grew ice cold. She watched as Aldrich stepped forward, extending his arms out to his sides almost as if he was welcoming her for a hug, but a dark presence began to show its self behind him. It grew rapidly in size and she felt anxious as its darkness consumed the room and everyone in it. The only thing visible were their seven faces, all with the most twisted and evil smiles. It was then that her heart began to pound, and it was the only sound in the dark around her as she made eye contact with a monster merely an inch away from the glass before her. The dark thing bared its razor teeth in a wicked grin before shattering the glass between them, grabbing her around the neck with its claws. She screamed as she watched the thing open its mouth, fully intent on eating her and her scream was silenced as she felt its teeth ripping at her skin, before everything went black.

 **Hey everyone. So by now I feel like a pretty crappy writer. I can't finish anything and I'm sure I've lost readers because of it and I'm super sorry. Lately I've been wanting to write so bad, yet every time I sit down and I'm so inspired I still can't write crap and I lose my inspiration almost instantly. It like disappears every time I try. Anyways this story is something I've been working on for a while and I'm actually enjoying it. I'm really hoping that this is going to pull me out of my rut and that's why I've written majority of it out before. I might change a few things to chapters before I post them, but the main story is almost finished. So I hope y'all enjoy and for those of you who've stuck with me through my crap I want to thank y'all so much.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zelda sat up panting in a cold sweat, her body feeling like it had truly been torn to pieces. What the hell was that? She sat up scared and shaking. That thing… it was unlike anything she had seen before. It was so dark and malicious. She'd never in her life felt something like that, not even against the shadow beasts. She wanted to believe that it was just her irrational fear of the dark and stress that caused a nightmare like that, but something about it just didn't at all feel like a dream. It felt real, very real, and to the point that her execution didn't seem that bad anymore.

She sat up slowly, trying to control her shaking. It was rather cold in the cell, so clutching at the end of her night gown she pulled her feet up closer to her and tucked them under the light fabric. If she had to guess she only slept maybe an hour at the most, but despite that little time of sleep, she was fully awake. However, she jumped at the sound of someone's footsteps approaching her cell door, surprised that she didn't even hear the heavy dungeon door creak open. They shoved a light blanket through the bars and yet she refused to lift her head to look at them full on. After a moment of silence and the presence of that person still over her, she snuck a peek finding him still extending his arm through the bar with the blanket.

"I don't want it," she announced after a minute, hiding her face back in her knees.

The man huffed loudly and stretched his arm out a little farther.

"Princess please," he began in a low voice, "just take it and hold out a little longer."

Zelda raised her head to look at him suspiciously, "what..?"

He motioned for her to come closer. She stood and walked over to him taking the blanket as he motioned that he would not talk until she did. With a huff she took it, wrapping it around her body as he looked to the door briefly.

"We're going to get you out of here," he started, "some of the men are still with you. I don't know what's been going on lately, but everyone is acting strange, and hearing that from the council, some of us couldn't believe it."

Zelda listened to what the man was saying, a small fire of hope burning in her gut, "you mean you believe that I'm innocent?"

He nodded slowly, "there are only a few of us left that do, and our loyalty will always be with you princess." He smiled kindly at her and she knew it was a sincere smile.

"Thank you so much," she almost cried tears of joy, "but I do have a question. How are we going to get out of here?"

"In a little while one of the men is going to come by here and give me the key to your shackles. The other is just waiting until it's all clear and the best time for avoiding the other guards."

"And where is Link? Have you heard anything about him?" She asked quickly, only she was met with somber eyes.

"We can't find him anywhere, your highness, he's missing."

Her heart sank at his words. For link to go missing? Something was most definitely wrong. She felt a wave of depression trying take over her, but she brushed it off. She needed to get out of here alive if she was to find Link. With that she relaxed herself pulling the blanket slightly tighter around her shivering form. She didn't know if she was shaking from fear or if she was truly cold. Not a moment later she heard the jingling of keys as another of her soldiers hurried to her cell. He hastily fumbled with the keys to unlock her cell and when it was open he bent down to her ankles unlocking the cuffs. She kicked the horrible things to the side as the soldier stood and began unlocking the cuffs around her wrist. Almost instantly as the metal disconnected with her skin she felt a surge of power. Whatever the enchantment on those cuffs must've been to block her magic and drain her strength was not an ordinary enchantment. It felt so dark, just like the creature from her dream. Whatever the cause she knew she had to relax herself. Getting worked up was not something she needed at that moment. She needed to see what her soldiers had planned. Was it a trick? It couldn't be. It just didn't feel like it.

Silently both of the men wave their hands in the motion for her to follow. She did so very quietly as they made their way down the dark halls of her castle. She was surprised at how quiet it was despite how many people were actually in her castle on a daily basis. There were many guards and servants. She figured surely that since she had just been charged with treason that they would up the patrols to make sure that she had no way to escape, but it wasn't too much of a surprise. After all, unless it was during wartimes, her soldiers were quite lazy. They must have assumed that she had no way of escape. She really believed them to be quite dim sometimes.

She pushed the thoughts aside is they made their way to the library. She was slightly confused at first but remembered behind one of the bookshelves was a secret passage if she ever needed to escape the castle but was unable to any other way. She had never been down the passageway but she was prepared for anything if it meant she could survive. She stood by quietly as the men pulled a bookshelf in the corner away from the wall. A cold, dank breeze came from the dark passageway. She swallowed hard remembering her irrational fear of the dark. Mainly it was what was in the dark. She had come face-to-face with Zant's shadow beasts, but still she was afraid. It would seem foolish to anyone else but yet she had faced things that many others could only dream of. Only, the thing she dreamed of was worse than anything she could imagine.

They moved as quietly as possible into the dark tunnel only one soldier carrying a lantern. She stayed closely to the one soldier that had given her the blanket ashamed that she didn't know their names. Even though she never had any prior interest in the names of her lower ranking soldiers, she was incredibly grateful that they would still put their loyalty in her like they were. She was beginning to see things in a completely different way and very much appreciative of everything they were doing for her. She hoped that after everything was through she would be able take the time to appreciate her soldiers way more than she had in the past.

They continued walking and she felt as if they had already walked miles. Yet from her memory she recalled her father explaining to her that the tunnel only spans from the castle to the southern field. From there they would have to make their way across the southern field and into the Faron woods. The woods were not the safest place for her she needed away from here. She felt the air getting cooler and the breeze growing slightly stronger. She knew that they were almost completely away from the castle and her stomach twisted in knots. Her mind got the better of her and she felt as if it was too easy for her to escape. Her mind told her all of the negative possibilities that could be waiting for her at the end of the tunnel. Could the council be aware that she had escaped? Would they be waiting for her ready to take her back to her cell or possibly execute her where she stood? And also, what if her dream was something real?

They emerged from the tunnel and she watched as the two men with her hurried to the stables and led two horses over to where the princess was standing. Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "Only two horses?" She asked as she was helped onto one, by the soldier that gave her the blanket.

"Yes," the other solider spoke up, "I'm staying here. My position would arouse suspicion if I were to simply disappear." She grimaced as he explained.

"Is something the matter your majesty?" The one currently helping her asked. His voice was low and concerned.

"Well," she started her cheeks flushed from embarrassment, "I still do not know your names."

He nodded in understanding, "Cole, your majesty." He gave her a little grin as she looked up to him.

"Cole?" She smiled, "I will always remember that. Thank you so much for what you've done."

"Well," he began with a shrug, "I didn't do it alone." He motioned to the other guard next to him, "Randal snuck the keys to those shackles."

"Yeah," the other guy laughed, "I actually had to sneak into Aldrich's study to get those. I waited till he left and grabbed them as quickly as I could."

"Thank you both," she smiled, "I owe you tremendously."

"It's no problem at all." Cole moved to his horse, but just before he was able to get on, a giant dark hand slapped him away.

Zelda gasped as fear began to take over her. There it was. A smaller version of the creature from her dreams stood before them, towering over Randal as he drew his sword. Cole as quickly as he could, jumped to his feet and drew his sword as well, but the both of them seemed frozen where they stood for a brief moment. Before she could move or say a word, Cole slapped the horse on the butt and it took off in the direction of the woods. Horrified, Zelda looked behind her, voice gone as she tried to scream back at her soldiers. Yet all she received was a small smile from Cole before she witnessed the creature grab the both of them their swords doing absolutely nothing to the monstrous thing. She only saw what happened briefly and she whipped her head around to stare wide-eyed at the back of the horse's head. She was sick to her stomach. Never had she seen a person squished like that before, and she felt faint as a vivid memory of the blood spewing from their bodies was burned into her brain. They were her saviors and for a moment she was filled with hope and joy thinking she would be free and safe for the time being, but now she was so alone. She dared not look back at the thing fearing that it was still right behind her ready to grab her at any moment. The wind whipped through her hair as she pushed the horse to run faster to the woods and lowered her head. Tears poured from her eyes like two waterfalls with an endless source of water. She'd never cried so hard or so much in her life, not even when Ganondorf destroyed her home.

She looked up after a moment and looked behind her, unable to see the field by how deep she had already made it into the woods. She slowed the horse to a trot, all the negative energy gone. She knew by the feeling that for the time being she was safe, but it still didn't help the fact that she was shaking even worse than in the cell. The dream was absolutely horrifying, but to see her dream realized was sickening. She couldn't help the tears that still flowed and she thought she was for sure going to die, but she tried to calm herself the best she could. Zelda looked around trying to distract herself and noticed a small ruined cabin. As she moved closer she noticed a tree had fallen on the little shack, but it hadn't collapsed completely. She dismounted the horse and looked around nervously, picking up some of the fallen limbs. Using her magic she made a small fire in the little fireplace of the shack, hating how cold it really was. Luckily she still had that blanket given to her and buddle up next to the fire. She was so worked up about everything going on she didn't realize just how exhausted she was. So much had happened and she wondered if maybe she was just having another bad dream. At least she hoped it was only a bad dream.

 **Well here's chapter two. I decided to post it anyway so i hope y'all enjoyed and there's definitely more to come! Leave me a review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She sat up with a groan, not sure just when she had fallen asleep and watched the small stream of smoke rise from the ashes of where the fire was. Daylight was breaking through the small crevices of the wooden shack and she noticed more details than she had previously in the night. The shack, despite the giant tree through the roof, was still in pretty good condition. That being that all the furniture wasn't completely ruined and she could have slept on the small bed. It definitely would have been more comfortable than the floor. She stood from her spot on the ground and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She glanced down to her feet sighing lightly at how her favorite nightgown was torn. Looking around some more she noticed a small dresser, and she felt herself get a little excited. She hurried over, hoping for anything she could wear. Luckily for her she found some black pants and a light green top. She'd never really worn pants before so it was definitely going to be different for her, but she had clothes and she was grateful. She was also quite satisfied by the boots she found next to the dresser and even though they were a little big, they were better than nothing. Winter in Hyrule did get rather cold, and to be stuck outside in her nightgown and bare feet would not be ideal.

Zelda peeked her head out of the broken door way of the shack, looking around at the rather serene woods. She was actually surprised. She'd only been in Faron woods a few times in her life, and every time she merely visited Link in Ordon village and left. Being so deep in the woods was a first for her, and even though it was so calm and peaceful, darker thoughts had set in. She had no weapon so how could she defend herself? Yes she had magic, but her magic only did so much. She could defend herself against the smaller minor things, but what about those creatures. If one was to show up and its power was greater than hers… she'd surely be done for. At those thoughts she felt herself growing anxious as she stepped out into the open hurried over to her horse that was drinking out of a small stream. It was dangerous to stay where she was for too long. After all, Aldrich could already be searching for her, and if she were to encounter any of the guard it could get messy real quick. Knowing him though, he'd get real dramatic and make bounty flyers with her face on it. She was Hyrule's princess, but even her people could be under the spell as well and turn on her. She hated feeling like a criminal, but something strange was going on in Hyrule and she just knew those beings were behind it. She had never really been to Crimea, but it was looking like the safest place for her to go. She had always heard that Elincia was a kind hearted woman, and perhaps she could at least hear Zelda out. Zelda didn't really have any other option at the moment. It was really starting to come down to die here or die there and despite how depressing it would be to a normal person, she was determined to think positive. At least if she went to Crimea there could be hope.

* * *

Night arrived quicker than Zelda wanted making the nervousness start to stir in her gut. The sun was warm and bright which made her very at ease. The night on the other hand, made her very uneasy. After what she saw the night before, she had a good reason to be scared. Luckily for her, she had made it to the port before the sun went down. The torches and candle light were such a comforting sight, but she grimaced as she started to observe the people. Even though she was a dangerous boat ride from Crimea, she knew even here she had to be extremely cautious. Just as she had suspected, the guards were alert obviously watching for her. It seemed that Aldrich had managed to get the message out quicker than she had been able to make it there. She dismounted her horse in the woods walking towards the stables. No one was there besides the other horses and that was a good thing. She removed everything from the horse and stroked it gently. She whispered an apology to the horse knowing he was such a good horse and that she'd never see him again. It truly broke her heart to think about what she might not see again. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to come back to Hyrule and every minute that passed her hope faded more and more. Despising the thoughts that came next, she pulled a tattered old robe off a hook and pulled the hood tightly over her head to conceal her ears and face. If all of her efforts failed, she could always start a new life in Crimea. Keeping a low profile and living in a small town didn't sound so bad. Yet she hated herself more as she thought about it. She couldn't just abandon her kingdom, but she was alone and had no support. How could she do anything by herself? It was just hopeless unless she had someone backing her. However if the queen turned her away, she would have nowhere to go. Her kingdom would fall completely into the hands of Aldrich and being wanted as she was she'd never be able to go back.

Tears began pricking at her eyes as she lowered her head and walked swiftly through the alleys of town. She didn't even realize how lost she was until she spared a glance ahead of her and saw two soldiers laughing and drinking outside of a tavern. She gasped as she quickly cut into a smaller dead end alleyway and listened intently to their conversation. Had they seen her? She prayed to the goddesses they didn't. With trembling knees she pushed her body as close to the wall as she could and slowly snuck to the corner to listen, relieved as they were just continuing to talk in the most vulgar way of a girl inside the tavern that served them their drinks. She sighed in relief that they hadn't spotted her and leaned her head back against the cool stone wall. Though she didn't relax for long for she heard her name brought up. She listened even more intently than before.

"What was the plan again?" One of the drunken soldiers slurred.

"Really you idiot," The other complained. "Zelda escaped the dungeon and the council believes she's headed to Crimea. Aldrich is going to start sending troops to attack villages on the coast so she has nowhere to run and hide."

She felt her stomach drop at their words. They really weren't going to leave her alone. They were going to do everything in their power to capture her and kill her. But she couldn't understand why he would just openly attack like that. Attacking a country across the sea like was an incredibly stupid idea. Aldrich would just be sending her soldiers to the deaths! Crossing the sea was incredibly dangerous, and no ship had ever made it to Crimea before. They all sank and Zelda was unaware if Crimea had ever attempted to sail through either. Not only was the sea dangerous, they didn't know the size or abilities of Crimea's armies. It was complete suicide to try to send any men there.

She felt small and hopeless again as she placed a shaky hand over her mouth. It didn't matter if she ran or fought against the council, she was done for no matter where she went. She lowered her head in her hands, but suddenly, someone grabbed her arm roughly, yanking her deeper into the small dead end cut. She cried out in pain as she noticed it was the two soldiers from the tavern. Her eyes widened and she was completely paralyzed with fear as they ripped the hood from her head and robe. She was exposed and watched as their eyes gleam at their findings.

"Zelda, what a surprise." Both guards grinned evilly at each other before the one holding her gripped her wrist even tighter. She cried out again but louder this time as he snatched her other wrist, spinning her around and bending her arms behind her back. She couldn't help how her body bent forward from the pain and her torso was now parallel with ground. The other soldier stepped in front of her grabbing a full fist of hair and pulling her head up to look at him. He made a satisfied noise and glanced back up at the soldier holding her. An evil look in his eyes made her stomach twist into knots. She knew what they were going to do next, and she just wished she was back in that cell.

"What do you say we have some fun with her first before we turn her in?"

The guard holding her let out a low growl as he pulled her straight up and bit down on her neck making her wince and whimper at the unwanted pressure. "Why not? It's not like the council's going to care."

The guard in front of her moved his hands over her chest ripping at the collar of her tunic and revealing her silky undergarments. She closed her eyes tightly hating how his hands moved about her and tried to pull away.

She was met with a rough slap the face. "Quit squirming!" He bellowed at her and tears began streaming down her face. This wasn't at all how she wanted her first time to go, but she came to the conclusion that playing along might make them less rough with her. Yet before she had the chance to open her eyes and say something, she was knocked to the ground by a powerful force. Yet she didn't dare open her eyes as she heard fighting and yelling from the two men, she only curled up in the fetal position and hugged her exposed chest tightly. After a moment and some slicing sounds, two pairs of feet took off in the opposite direction leaving the alley silent. She heard someone's heavy exasperated sigh, but dared not move. She was petrified, fearing that the new person would just resume what the soldiers had started. However she jumped at their touch on her shoulder as she felt them wrap some material around her and lifted her from the ground. It was a warm and hefty cloth with the most pleasing scent. Its musky woodsy smelled reminded her of a peaceful forest, and almost immediately she calmed down as he continued to carry her. Timidly she spared a glance at the man carrying her and her stomach filled with butterflies. The first thing she noticed was his deep blue hair, but then she noticed the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. She didn't get a good view, but quickly lowered her eyes and relaxed into his chest. She couldn't help that her body was still trembling, and she knew he felt it, but just the glance at him filled her chest with a warm pleasant feeling.

He walked quietly and swiftly into what looked like an abandoned building, and despite what had just happened to her, she didn't at all feel frightened. She knew through the feeling in her gut that he meant her no harm. Silently he set her down staying crouched in front of her and she finally got to see his handsome face fully. He raised his eyes to her, immediately freezing her in awe. His eyes were such a beautiful deep cerulean blue and just looking into them she knew the goddesses had planned their meeting. They were so cold and emotionless but so incredibly mesmerizing. Yet she could see that the blank, detached look was just a front. Her ability to read people's emotions told her that somewhere beyond the barrier he created was a very warm and caring person. Her heart ached knowing that whatever traumatic events he'd been though had caused such a kind soul to bear such cold eyes.

After a moment of her gawking, he cleared his throat and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly. His voice was very deep and calming and all she could do was nodded in answer. However in that brief moment, his softened eyes hardened again and he stood from his squatting position, moving to a chair with a cloth bag in it. He dug for a moment, pulling multiple shirts from the bag and holding them up in front of him. Eventually he tossed a plain red shirt to her, and she caught it holding it up in front of her and grimacing. It was so big. "I won't look." He said after a moment and turned his back to her, crossing his arms across his chest and lowering his head.

She blushed harder as she stood, quickly removing the torn green tunic and slipped on the red shirt. It looked huge on her as the supposed short sleeves came down to her elbows and the rest of the shirt reach half way down her thighs. He hadn't looked the entire time and she bent down to grab the cloth he had wrapped her in realizing it was his cape. She carefully moved over to him holding the red cape tightly to her chest as she tapped on his shoulder and extended her arms to give back his cape. He turned to face her and she lowered her eyes as she carefully took it from her hands.

"Thank you," she managed in a shy voice as she raised her eyes to meet his.

He nodded his head, a small smile trying to break across his lips, but he quickly stopped it and his lips pressed into a thin line. "You're welcome," he said after a short moment.

The two of them fell silent, and Zelda couldn't look at him as the silence started to get a little awkward. She didn't know what to say or do. After all, this complete stranger saved her from what those soldiers were about to do to her and she was terrified of going back out there without protection. After a minute, she moved to the side as he walked over and set his cape down on the bag of clothes in the wooden chair. Luckily he broke the silence when he cleared his throat again and motioned to the small cot next to him.

"I'm sure you don't want to go back out there again tonight," he started as he ran a hand through his blue hair, "so if you want you can sleep here."

"But where would you sleep?" She asked as he laid his cape and bag of clothes on the floor about a foot away from the cot, obviously intent on using the bag as a pillow. "No you can't sleep-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted, "I've slept on the floor before. One night isn't going to kill me."  
She bit down on her lip lightly, "are you sure?" He nodded in return and she moved to the small cot, hating that she took where he was going to sleep.

He laid down on the ground and immediately she could tell he was uncomfortable. As she moved and laid down on her back, she stared at the ceiling of the dark abandoned building. At least this building was just abandoned and not falling apart like the shack she slept in the night before. Yet, thinking of that shack brought some questions about him to mind. She wondered why he was staying in a place like this. She didn't even know his name, but she completely trusted him.

"Can I ask…" She trailed off nervous about her question even though it was so simple, but he stirred and she knew he was listening, waiting for her to continue. "What's your name?"

"Ike." He answered simply, and she was slightly surprised. Even though she waited, he never once spoke up to ask her name. She left it alone, but listened to his breathing. It was the only thing she could hear in the dark silent room. There was no noise at all from outside.

Ike… The name was so familiar to her. She knew they had never met before, but yet she felt like she knew him personally. She knew the goddesses wanted them to meet and that made her want to stay with him for as long as she could. She was determined to find out more about who he was, but she didn't bother to ask any more questions for she heard his slow even breathing turn into soft snores. She had no idea how late it even was, but she was exhausted too and she knew she was safe, so with that she rolled over onto her side. She had a good view him, and even though she didn't know Ike at all she was drawn to him. She had a feeling though that it wouldn't last long, and she closed her eyes to go to sleep not wanting to think about what that feeling meant.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zelda's eyes flew open and she quickly sat up in a cold sweat. It was that dream. That same dream that haunted her the night she was in her cell. She could feel herself starting to panic but it all came to a quick halt as her eyes focused on Ike. His concerned eyes met hers and instantly her fear melted away. It was the strangest sensation she had ever felt. Never in her life had her fear just completely disappeared, not even with Link. Ike looked at her, his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

"Hey are you OK?" He asked, his voice filled with concern. Zelda could only nod in reply as he bent down next to the bed. "I'm just curious," he started, "why were you out in that alley at that time of night anyway?

Zelda swallowed hard and then took a deep breath and sighed. "I was just lost," she explained as she tried her hardest to look sincere. He raised a single eyebrow and gave her a look of disbelief.

"Are you sure about that?" He stood from beside the bed and grabbed his sword from the back of the chair before continuing. "I'm pretty sure I would notice when I'm walking into the bad part of town."

"Well why were you there if it's the bad part of town?" She asked trying to divert his question.

"I was trying to find information. Something weird has been going on in this town lately, especially now that the sea is parted and magically there's a mile wide stretch of land spanning all the way from this port to Crimea."

Her stomach twisted in knots at his words. "What?" Had the goddesses... no, not the goddesses. It was much too easy for Aldrich to get troops to Crimea now. There was definitely some powerful magic at work and it was on his side.

"Not only that," he continued, "they've supposedly charged their ruler with treason for conspiring with Crimea, and I for a fact know Crimea has no part in this."  
Her eyebrows furrowed at his words, "how do you know this?"  
"I came from Crimea on Queen Elincia's request to see what the hell's going on over here."

"You're Crimean?"

He nodded and her heart fluttered at his words. Now she knew why the goddesses wanted them to meet. He knew the queen and it was her ticket to getting to Queen Elincia. But if Ike knew about the charges against her, would he help her or would he give her to Aldrich. She didn't want to know, but there just had to be a way to get Crimea to help. Then she remembered there was a way to get Crimea's help. She could go with Ike back to Crimea and warn them of Aldrich's plans and still keep her identity hidden.

"Ike," she started nervously, "can you take me with you back to Crimea?"

He gave her a funny look, but she brushed it off and asked the question again. The second time he merely shook his head.

"Crimea's keeping a really close eye on the border. I doubt they'll just let me start bringing people over."

"But I have important information for the Queen," she explained.

"Like what?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "like what I heard the soldiers say last night."

He looked at her suspiciously, "and that would be?"

She turned her nose up to him and looked away and she could feel his agitated eyes on her. "I'm not telling you," she stated firmly. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled at him, "I'm not telling you unless you agree to bring me."

He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes giving in to her request and that made her grin.

"Fine," she started to smile again, but he shot that down, "but I need to know who I'm bringing to Crimea."

"I'm..." She paused at his words wondering what to say. She can't tell him she's the princess that's wanted. "My name is Sheik," she stated after a moment. In a way it was true, Sheik was her alter ego, so it was still technically her.  
He raised an eyebrow, "Sheik?" She nodded and merely shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then, let's get to Crimea."

* * *

Just under two days was how long it took to walk the span of land between their now joining continents. Along the way she and Ike had talked about many things, but it was mostly her asking different questions about Crimea and the continent of Tellius. He told her all kinds of stories, like the one where he and his friends defeated a goddess that was trying to destroy the world. Whenever he made the comment that it was her turn to talk, she would tell him stories about Hyrule. The first story she told him was about the creation of Hyrule and the three goddesses that they worship. Despite the both of them having completely different beliefs, she was very interested in all of his tales and he listened to hers intently as well. However he still didn't know much about her at all, only her homeland. She didn't want to say too much for fear of giving herself away. In fact, she hoped that she wouldn't have to tell him at all about who she really was. She truly hoped that after she warned the queen that they would find out about the things going on in the council and defeat Aldrich. After that she hoped that she would be able to sneak off and return to Hyrule, finding a way to make the sea swallow that stretch of land back. But she knew that it's never that easy.

They arrived at the border of Crimea where multiple soldiers were stationed to watch. No one was allowed to enter Crimea or leave except those with a pass from the queen herself. Luckily since it was Ike the soldiers allowed him and Zelda to pass but she still went by the name Sheik. The trip to the castle took another day but it wasn't as long as it took to cross the stretch of land. They arrived right before dusk, and Zelda was shown a room in the castle to stay during her visit, but she was to be watched and escorted throughout the castle. She was to meet with Elincia the next morning. That night she slept maybe a few hours but woke up from another nightmare. Ever since that night, she wondered if it was a bad dream. She had seen nothing more of those monsters since then. How was she supposed to know if it was real or her imagination? However, she felt that she knew it was real but yet her mind still tried to convince her that she was just dreaming.

She paced the room, finding her nerves getting the better of her. There were so many details she had to remember and keep straight. So she went over it in her head again for the fifth time. Her name was sheik. She was a commoner from a small town in Hyrule. If they gave her the opportunity to join their ranks she would. Apparently on Tellius, The only magic was either from a divine figure or spells from tomes. Everything here was much different from Hyrule, and it made her feel out of place. She just hoped she didn't somehow screw this up. At least she had Ike to back her up that something strange was happening to Hyrule. When she first told him of how some of the people seemed brainwashed, he instantly believed her. He had explained to her that he was getting multiple versions of stories of what was going on. Some were still with the princess and some talked about how there never was a princess. Some sort of power was at work, and they both agreed that it was seriously messing with the people.

Sighing heavily, she walked over to the double doors of her room's balcony. She felt quite comfortable that the room she was staying in reminded her of her own room back home. It was very different but the concepts were the same. Both of the rooms have balconies and glass double doors. Both of the rooms have their own bathroom with a porcelain tub and large mirror. And the best of all both of the rooms had very comfortable mattresses and satin sheets. It was almost as if she was home but in a way that worried her. The last time she was in her room she had soldiers attack her. How was she supposed to feel comfortable knowing she could blink and the soldiers could be there? She instead pushed the thoughts aside and pushed open the glass doors feeling the cool breeze wrap around her. It was very comforting and she looked up at the moon glad it was the same moon she'd always seen back home. It was so serene she felt like she could stare at it forever but something caught her eye. A blush crawled onto her cheeks as she looked down at a different balcony and saw that same mop of blue hair. She didn't know why she felt nervous with him looking at her in a nightgown. After all he had saved her from something that he could've seen more if he hadn't gotten there in time. Their eyes met and she felt her cheeks grow even hotter. She could even feel the heat in her neck. It was a good thing it was night time otherwise she might've looked as red as a tomato. Zelda gave him a small way and he returned the wave with a small motion of two fingers. She spared a look back at the moon and took a deep breath to calm herself. She never let herself get so flushed over a man. Not even her suitors.

Looking back down to Ike's balcony, her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed he was gone. She felt her heart drop slightly in disappointment and turned to head back into her room. There was just something about him that was different than everyone else he was so easy to talk to and she would never admit it to anyone but he was rather charming. She hadn't really seen him around anyone else to know how he acted but despite those cold eyes he had when they first met, he was never cold to her. She moved back over to her bed but was startled at the light knock on her door. Quickly, she hurried to answer it but felt her face grow hot again as Ike stood before her.

"Ike," she sighed as she put a hand on her chest, "you startled me."

"I'm sorry," he ran a hand through his hair, "are you having trouble sleeping?"

She gave him a sheepish grin, "is it that obvious?" He nodded.

For a moment she debated in her head whether or not to invite him in. As a princess it would be very inappropriate. But as a commoner, like he believes she is, would it be? Despite her brain telling her no, she opened the door and invited him in shutting the door behind him quietly. She moved to her bed, taking a seat and watching as he moved to sit in a plush armchair at the foot. She still felt flushed in her cheeks knowing this way the first man to be in her room at such a late hour, even if it wasn't for the same reason others had. After a moment of silence and him relaxing in the chair, he picked his head up from leaning it back on the chair and studied her expression.

"You know," he started with a small grin, "I still don't know that much about you and you won't tell me about your life."

She blushed as he leaned forward and closer to her. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well," he touched a finger to his chin in thought. "We could start small. For instance, what's your favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Favorite thing to do?"

"Well, that one's kind of hard," she took a deep breath deciding and smiled, "I like to paint the scenery."

"Really? So did my mother."

"Does your mother paint often?" She asked, but she was met with somber eyes and instantly regretted asking.

"My mother passed away when I was little and my father as well when I was a teenager. It's just been me and my sister Mist."

Zelda's heart ached at his words. "I'm sorry I didn't-"

"No, it's alright," he cut her off and raised his eyes to hers, "I actually haven't really talked about this to anyone. Everyone knows, just no one brings it up." He sighed heavily and his somber expression was slowly turning into a smile. "You're just so easy to talk to. I feel like I can trust you with anything."

Zelda smiled softly back at him, "I feel that way too." Yet as she said those words she felt guilt swelling up in her chest. She hated how that just came out. After all she was lying about who she was. He believes her to be a down to earth commoner, yet she was the complete opposite. She was a princess who as soon as all of this was resolved would just leave and return home without ever seeing him again. She couldn't play with him like that.

She must have let her thoughts change her expression for he took a seat next to her and placed a hand over hers. She flinched at the contact, pulling her hand out from under it without even thinking. She cursed herself the second she realized what she did, and watched as his soft eyes hardened. It was the first time they made any contact since he carried her to that abandoned building, and even though she really wanted that contact she had already messed it up.

Internally she groaned as he stood quickly from his seat next to her. "I'm sorry I-" his voice was soft at first but then hardened, "I overstepped."

"Ike-"

"I apologize, sheik," he stated firmly as he made his way back to the door, her stomach twisting in knots at the false name.

He shut the door swiftly behind him and she felt her heart aching. She knew it was what needed to happen, but at the same time her heart wanted otherwise. Quietly she climbed underneath the covers curling up into a ball in the center of the mattress and pulled one of the pillows down underneath her. She clutched the soft pillow tightly and shut her eyes hating herself for what she was doing. Her heart wanted more, but her brain just wasn't going to let that happen.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zelda woke up the next morning feeling exhausted and heartbroken. She still couldn't get over the night before and she couldn't help but hate the look in Ike's eyes as he left her room. She absolutely hated herself but yet she knew nothing could ever come of their relationship. He knew her as Sheik and he could never know who she truly was. She dressed in clothes from the dresser that actually fit her but she still wanted to wear that shirt that Ike had given her. It was so comfy. Instead with a sigh she changed shirts quickly and was escorted to the throne room where Elincia would be waiting. She arrived there and instantly she found herself admiring the young green haired woman sitting on the throne. She was very beautiful, more than she imagined. Elincia looked her way and waved her forward with a thin gloved hand. She felt a little jealousy for absolutely no reason that Ike was around such a lovely woman all the time, but she quickly brushed it off as Elincia greeted her.

"Ah Sheik," she gave Zelda a warm smile, "it's so wonderful to meet you."

"You as well your majesty," Zelda returned her smile and gave a small curtsy still ignoring the stab she felt being called Sheik.

"Sir Ike should be with us in a moment, so please," she stood from her throne and stepped down the red carpet steps to stand in front of Zelda, "would you mind giving me a summary of what you suspect is happening in Hyrule?"

Zelda nodded, "I overheard some of the soldiers talking the other night when I found Ike, and they were discussing these plans on attacking Crimean villages near the new border."

"They didn't mention any reason?" Elincia asked, her eyes widening as she was hearing this information for the first time.

"No your majesty." Zelda felt so weird saying that instead of having it said to her but she ignored it.

Elincia touched her chin in thought, "perhaps we could hold a peace talk instead of war."

"If I may," Zelda started, "there are strange things happening in Hyrule. From what I've heard and seen the council wants war. I highly doubt they'll listen to anything other than blades crossing."

Elincia sighed heavily, but her eyes moved to behind Zelda, where she just knew Ike was coming. He stood next to Zelda, not even sparing her a glance, and she lowered her eyes to the stone floor beneath them. Ike filled Elincia in on all the details, including how they believed Hyrule was being brainwashed by strange magic. Elincia was silent as he talked and Zelda zoned out only hearing the sound of his voice as he spoke. She had no idea what exactly he was saying, merely listened to him speak until she was addressed directly. She raised her eyes only to meet his once again cold gaze.

"Sheik," he started gruffly, "anything else you'd like to add." She shook her head as he looked back to Elincia.

"Then we have no other choice," Elincia turned to the blue haired man next to her throne, "Geoffrey, station more troops at all of the villages near the new border. If Hyrule really is going to attack us, we need to make sure the civilians are protected. Oh and make sure all battle plans are kept secret. The last thing we need is other nations knowing what's going on and trying to get mixed up in this."

"Yes Queen Elincia," Geoffrey bowed and hurried off, leaving Zelda alone with the queen and Ike.

"Oh and Sheik," Zelda raised her eyes to Elincia trying her best to look neutral.

"Yes?"

"Since you know more about Hyrule than us, I would like you to join us until this issue is resolved. Sir Ike will always be beside you if you'd like."

Zelda nodded her head and accepted. How could she deny the queens offer? She was planning on doing it anyway, but the thought of Ike always being with her made her uneasy. He looked at her so coldly and she just wanted to throw her arms around him in a big hug just hoping that he would return it. Internally she groaned. Why did this have to be so difficult? She wished she could just tell him... to just tell him who she was and pray that the goddesses would keep him in her life always. Even though she hadn't known him long, the three days they were together constantly made her never want to leave his side. Now that she was getting what she wanted, every future second they spend together would be awkward. Elincia had left and that meant that Ike and Zelda were alone again, but instead of saying anything he merely turned to walk off. Zelda felt a slight surge of irritation, falling quickly in step behind him and following him all the way into the courtyard. Zelda didn't have time to admire the stone work and plants however for he turned quickly on his heel to face her and she walked directly into his chest.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked as she took a step back and looked up at him.

"Ike I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she started as she lowered her eyes feeling his still on her, "I was just nervous-"

"There's no need for you to apologize," he stated quickly, "I overstepped."

"No, you didn't," she looked back up at him and gave him a small smile. "I was just nervous. I didn't mean to upset you," she continued and felt her heart beat faster as he touched her chin lightly.

"Can we just leave it as friends?" He asked after a minute and she felt something in her shatter into a million pieces. "I have a few things to help Geoffrey with concerning the plans," he started, "If you'll excuse me."

She nodded her head reluctantly as he left, leaving her to hurry off to her room. She shut the door swiftly behind her, her heart pounding as she slid down against it, kneeling on the floor before her. She felt tears pricking at her eyes as she slammed her fists against her legs. "Why am I so stupid?!" She cried out angrily into the empty room. Somewhere in the back of her mind she hoped she would hear her mother's voice answer her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. She longed for the comforting hold of her mother, just as she had felt the very first time her heart was broken by a childhood crush. But her mother was gone, and she had no one left to comfort her. Link was gone, Midna returned to the twilight realm, and she didn't even have Ike anymore. She felt completely alone.

* * *

Zelda sighed heavily as she looked out her open balcony doors at the courtyard below. Her escort had stopped by and brought her a canvas and paints to entertain herself, since Elincia still wanted her to stay in her room unless with an escort or Ike. It was obvious that Ike wasn't completely done with her since he was the only one she told about her hobby. Instead of having a wide view of the land like her room in the castle at home, she had a nice view of the courtyard and decided to paint the spot where she and Ike had stood earlier. Since it was fall however, none of the flowers were at full bloom, so from her imagination she painted the flowers in, trying her best to cheer herself up. She had only been working on it for two hours so of course it wasn't really done, but Ike had knocked on her door and when she invited him in, he immediately noticed the painting, but didn't say a thing about it.

She started putting the paints and canvas aside, and Ike waited until she was finished before telling her the news. "Well we received some news a few minutes ago and it's not exactly good."

"What happened?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"A group of Hylian soldiers attacked a town before we were able to get men out there and some of the survivors were saying that they've moved on to 'spread a message'," he explained and Zelda's solemn mood grew heavier over her, "apparently they're claiming that we're holding the accused princess even though no one has even seen her."

Zelda swallowed hard, "really?"

"Yeah, but to be honest," he continued, "I think she's already been killed and they're just using her as an excuse to wage war."

"Yeah probably," Zelda took a deep shaky breath, trying her best to look as calm as possible. Ike didn't seem to notice.

"Supposedly that group of soldiers is still out there, and we're getting together a small force to track them down if they've moved any closer to the castle. I need you to come with me. You're the only one of us that knows anything about Hyrule."

She nodded her head silently, debating on whether or not to ask about her magic. "Ike," she started as he turned to her with a rather apathetic look, "Hyrule is much different than Crimea, and..." He looked at her to continue, "And I do have powers of my own. My magic doesn't require tomes to use."

"I understand," he said after a moment, "the men understand that you are different than us, and if they give you any problems I'll take care of it."

"Well, it's not just that," she continued, "I also possess the ability to heal wounds, but I heard from my escort that the queen of Daein also possesses this ability. You call her branded though, and I'm not sure what that entails."

"Don't listen to him," Ike scoffed, "he's very old fashioned. You are not branded and you're not a freak. You're Hylian, and there's much we Crimeans don't know about your homeland."

She felt herself grimace, "you won't leave me by myself?"

"No."

He led her through the castle to prepare for their trip and she was a bit concerned what might happen if her soldiers saw her, but she knew that having Ike by her side she'd be safe. The discussion of a melee weapon had started on their way to the castle's armory and Zelda had mention she was somewhat practiced with a sword.

Zelda huffed as Ike was kneeling before her tightening a belt on her hips. "It's a little tight don't you think?"

"Well," he started as he stood before her, "I know you have magic, but it's best to have something to defend yourself with if you can't use it." She blushed as his hands ran across the belt making sure it was securely in place, the contact making her feel nervous. "There, you're all set."

"Ike," she started as he was putting a few things in a small pouch on his own belt.

He turned to look at her and she felt herself slightly blush again, "yeah?"

"Thank you for everything." She gave him her best warm smile and felt her heartbeat speed up as he turned towards her completely and actually returned the smile.

"You're welcome." She pushed away the oncoming feelings afraid if she said anything else she might ruin the moment and looked to the floor. He cleared his throat to break the silence, "you ready?" She merely nodded as he led her off through the halls. She was nervous of course, but it wasn't from the trip or even the fact that she'd be out in the open. She felt safe knowing Ike was going to be next to her, yet she felt the anxiety build and build. What if she was recognized? She knew if her identity was revealed everything would fall apart fast and she wasn't prepared for that at all.


End file.
